"We are going by the State of Illinois Local Elected Officials Handbook for the April 9th consolidated election," Alton City Clerk Mary Boulds said in explaining the reason for the drawings and the process.

Some candidates in the audience bantered with Boulds, Deputy City Clerk Nancy Williams and Mickey Heinold, of the Alton Department of Building and Zoning, lightening the atmosphere of the brief proceedings.

Aldermen Charles Brake, 5th Ward, and David Boulds, 7th Ward, whose names were not in the drawings, still came to the lottery just to watch.

The drawings for ballot placement were held for candidate hopefuls for the mayoral and Wards 2 and 3 aldermanic contests. In each case, more than one person running for the same office was in line at the City Clerk's Office at 8 a.m. Monday, Dec. 17, when filing started for nominating papers.

Following city tradition, Heinold drew slips of paper containing numbers that Boulds first verbally linked to candidates' names from an oversized brandy snifter. A former employee had used the container as a terrarium.

Heinold made a point of looking away each time she drew a piece of paper.

Within a couple minutes, Heinold's drawings determined first-term incumbent Mayor Tom Hoechst's name would be on top of the ballot, with challenger Brant Walker's name underneath. Edna Johnson, third contender for the office, filed just before the deadline Wednesday, so her name will be third on the ballot. Walker ran unsuccessfully ran for mayor in 2009; Johnson ran for mayor and lost in 2005.

For the 2nd Ward aldermanic race, newcomer Carolyn MacAfee will have her name at the top, with 2005 candidate Beth Johnes next, and Monica Mason listed third, according to the drawing.

One of the women will replace one-term Alderman Mick McCahill, who is not running for another term.

In the third and final round of drawings, for 3rd Ward aldermanic candidate placements, first-term Alderman Michael Velloff "won" the top spot, with Darrell McGibany's name in the second spot. McGibany ran unsuccessfully for the office in 2009.

Of the seven candidates involved in Thursday's drawing, only Walker, Johnes and McGibany attended the lottery.

While some believe uninformed or uncaring voters might automatically vote for the top name, McGibany and Johnes have few competitors and were not sure whether ballot placement matters in their races.

"I don't think it really does," McGibany said. "There are only two people running, so it makes it fairly easy for everyone. Everybody knows who we are."

"I don't think so," Johnes agreed. "I think it's name recognition. I think I have good name recognition from 2005."